“They could have created one district east of the East Bay hills that would have been competitive for both parties.”

Your problem, from what I assume is a Republican perspective, is that GOP registration in the state is down to 30%, strongly tilting far right. Don’t blame that on the commission.

To my knowledge, creating competitiveness (which would have required the commission to use party registration data they were not permitted to use) was not one of the criteria for drawing the districts.

Being in San Ramon, I’m unhappy about us being cut off from the “Contra Costa” congressional district. However, the districts now make far greater sense than what were once the deliberately gerrymandered Pombo and Tauscher districts.

]]>By: RR, Senile Columnisthttp://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2011/12/23/pushback-on-propublica-redistricting-story/comment-page-1/#comment-57921
Fri, 30 Dec 2011 22:30:44 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=18392#comment-57921Add about 10 seats to the House and we wouldn’t have to agonize so much every decade over which deadheads to dump somewhere else.
]]>By: Elwoodhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2011/12/23/pushback-on-propublica-redistricting-story/comment-page-1/#comment-57917
Fri, 30 Dec 2011 21:22:39 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=18392#comment-57917Well, whaddayaknow?

The people are screwed again!

]]>By: Allen Paytonhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2011/12/23/pushback-on-propublica-redistricting-story/comment-page-1/#comment-57901
Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:13:47 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=18392#comment-57901As Chairman of the Contra Costa Citizens Redistricting Task Force directly involved in the state commission’s process, I watched online and communicated with the Commissioners the day they created the Bay Area Assembly districts and they created districts that protected the incumbents, except maybe Joan Buchanan. Hers is more competitive for Republicans. In addition, I was in attendance at the meeting on the day they created the East Bay Congressional districts. I can tell you, regardless of the fact they didn’t have the party registration figures with them, by them keeping Oakland whole, splitting off San Ramon from the rest of the San Ramon Valley, and putting Richmond in with Central Contra Costa County, and not using the East Bay Hills as the natrual dividing line, as was the Community Of Interest (COI) testimony of over 300 people from the East Bay, they knew they were creating four districts that protected the incumbent Democrats. It was obvious when listening to Commissioner Galmbos Malloy false statements, that not only we but also their own contractor, Q2’s staff proved wrong, and the fallacious arguments as well as body language of Commissioner Blanco, that they knew what they were doing. Miller’s district is 26% Republican, Stark and Lee both have strong Dem majorities, and McNerney’s district is less competitive than before. They could have listened to the people and created one district east of the East Bay Hills that would have been competitive for both parties. But the commission was deceived and they listened to the commmissioners from the East Bay as if they were the experts, and we have the current districts as a result, for the next 10 years.
]]>By: Rick K.http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2011/12/23/pushback-on-propublica-redistricting-story/comment-page-1/#comment-57824
Fri, 30 Dec 2011 04:54:36 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=18392#comment-57824But isn’t it true that incumbent Democratic members of Congress like Jerry McNerney paid $20,000 each to that consulting firm that created sham, “astroturf” front organizations to influence the redistricting process? McNerney was elected in 2006 on an “honesty and ethics” platform and promised to be a reformer. He could’ve used his “outsider status” to seek change in Washington, but five years later he acts like just another professional politician. He needs to offer an immediate public explanation as to why he spent $20,000 on a consultant to influence the Citizens Redistricting Commission.
]]>By: BGRhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2011/12/23/pushback-on-propublica-redistricting-story/comment-page-1/#comment-57510
Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:27:53 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=18392#comment-57510Typical CA-GOP strategy to bring knife to gunfight.
]]>By: Elwoodhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2011/12/23/pushback-on-propublica-redistricting-story/comment-page-1/#comment-57175
Sat, 24 Dec 2011 21:27:35 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=18392#comment-57175And left wing loonies have taken over the dimmiecrat party.
]]>By: REWhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2011/12/23/pushback-on-propublica-redistricting-story/comment-page-1/#comment-57150
Sat, 24 Dec 2011 17:33:16 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=18392#comment-57150George Miller, and Howard Berman, two of the most senior and powerful Democrats in the California house delegation, had thier districts redrawn rather substantially, and not in the favor of either. If Miller and Berman had no influence over how the districts were redrawn, than no Democratic members did, because these guys are powerhouses in DC and in California.. It looks to me like the commission did thier job, they took testimony from citizens, and then drew up the districts themselves trying to avoid any gerrymandering. Republican are crying foul because they don’t see the party picking up any seats as a result of new district lines, they are trying to claim reappotionment was unfair. That’s not the pronblem, it’s the Republicans low registration numbers. Republicans have become a radical party, not mainstream. Right wing conservatives have taken over the GOP.
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